Palisade Vacation

Declan, Delaney and I headed up to Palisade, CO last weekend to spend some time with my grandparents. We were only there for 4 days but we did so much!

Declan got to ride the ATV"s with my Papa. I just love that tough boy face! And there he is staring cross eyed into his fancy little drink. (Super-easy-gotta-try-it: Fill your cup 1/2 full with sparkling water/soda-think pomegranate or blueberry lemon and add a few scoops of lemon sorbet-delish and it feels so "exotic")

There were some things that I really wanted my Granny to teach me how to do while we were there. The first was lye soap. It's the best for getting stains out of clothes and is something my mom, and obviously her mom always used so I figure I better know how to make it! It was amazingly easy- time consuming but easy (although very toxic and not good to make around kids!). The second was lavender wands. My Granny made one for Declan when he was a baby and it still smells good. My Granny also taught me how to use her totally awesome wheat grinder. That baby grinds like 10 cups of wheat in less that 10 minutes! Then of course, I had to use the flour to make some whole wheat cookies which may not sound that great but were so good! And every night was not complete without some homemade ice cream. She's got one of them there wicked Cuisinart ice cream maker things. (Who gets excited enough to say wicked about an ice cream maker?! ME!) We had vanilla the 1st night, coconut the 2nd and 3rd and cantaloupe the 4th night. Of course we ate our ice cream while catching up on the latest movies (He's Just Not That Into You, Bride Wars, etc.). My Granny is slightly obsessed with Twilight so naturally we watched that one too.

The kids liked hanging out with Papa too. He was supposed to be working but got lucky enough to spend a few days with us! My Gran even indulged Declan with a tea party! I can remember so many tea parties with her when I was younger!

The kids also got to run in the sprinklers and ride bikes/cars. We went to downtown Grand Junction and walked around all the cute little shops- we were supposed to have breakfast there at this cute little place called the Crystal Cafe but it went out of business, =(. We also went to Dinosaur Journey in Fruita for Declan.

We had an awesome time and even though we were sad to go we're glad to be at home! All of that crammed into one weekend- we're tired! Thanks for all of the memories! We miss you already!

Camp Out #1- Rampart Range

This last weekend we had our first camping trip of the summer. We went up to Rampart Range with some friends of ours- Clark and Toni Easdon. I would have to say it is the most unprepared I have ever been for a camp out. I am going to blame that on the fact that we were invited Thursday night and didn't decide we were actually going until Friday morning. I had an appt to get the kids pics taken and it was just a really crazy day! Back to my being unprepared- I forgot to bring my kids coats- that's how bad it was. Declan didn't even have a hoodie and we also forgot our bottles of water. Thanks to the Easdons and the unusually warm nighttime weather we all survived! Delaney got to take her first ATV ride and Declan took about a million rides on the dirt bike! Lacey, Declan and Cade found ways to entertain themselves in between rides by playing doctor- hmmm....?! So long as they outgrow it before they're teenagers! I forgot how dirty my kids can get. I swear that I cleaned Declan's hands and face and not even 5 minutes later he would like he hadn't been cleaned in days! We had a blast...and we will be doing it all again in just a couple of weeks!

Hmmm...

A Mini-Reunion

Let me just preface this post by saying I have no idea how to make this sound more manly.

Jason's best friend from his childhood, Tom Wilson was here for a visit last week and we got to spend some time with him and his family. Jason, Tom and Joe have been friends since they were practically babies- they are like the 3 Musketeers. You should hear the stories of the things these guys did to their poor mothers. (They better not give their own boys any ideas!) Tom is in the Army and just got back from a long deployment in Iraq. Joe has twin boys who are giving them a run for their money! It was fun to see these guys with their own boys- (and girls!) and listen to them reminisce.

Declan's First Talk

Declan gave his first talk in Primary on the 31st of May. He was so excited! He had been needing new church shoes and a belt so the night before we went out and got him some. He was so excited to show everyone his new belt! His talk was on the Holy Ghost and went something like this:

After I get baptized,

I will receive the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost makes me feel good,

and helps me choose the right.

The Holy Ghost loves me and protects me.

The Holy Ghost can be with me always.

I am grateful for the Holy Ghost.

He got right up there and did it (with a little help of course)! Jason and I were so proud of him- he seemed pretty proud of himself too! His Grammy and Grandma also came to watch! I can't believe I have a kid who's old enough to do this kind of stuff!

Date Morning

Declan and I went on a date to see the movie UP in 3-D when it first came out! We had a hectic morning getting there though- the movie theater we went to first had a broken projector and had cancelled there morning showings and so we raced over to the Promenade along with everyone else who had been turned away and made it in time to see it there! I should have gotten a picture of us in our awesome 3-D glasses! I loved taking him to do something one-on-one because I don't get enough time with him by himself- I think this is the beginning of a tradition! Declan liked the movie and ate a ton of yummy buttery movie popcorn and drank a ton of soda- what more could a 3 year old want from a date with his Mommy?